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Ann Dawson

Ann Patton Dawson, 74, passed away on May 2, 2012. She was born in Fort Smith, the community she loved and devoted so much of her life serving. She was a dedicated instructor in the arts and humanities, a literary student, an avid traveler, a committed advocate for community and public programs and services, and a devoted wife, mother and grandmother.

She is survived by her husband, Robert T. Dawson; her daughter, Christie Ann Dawson of Arlington, Va.; her son, David Patton Dawson and wife Michelle of Bartlett, Tenn.; her daughter, Courtney Dawson Beland and husband Colby of Fort Smith; a brother, James Fred Patton of Clearwater, Fla.; four grandchildren, Benjamin and Caroline Beland and Joseph and Robert Dawson; and two nephews, Christopher and Matthew Patton.

She was preceded in death by her parents, J. Fred and Bernice Patton, and a son, Robert James Dawson.

Ann attended Hendrix College and the University of Arkansas for her undergraduate work. She received a B.A. and a M.A. in English from the UA. Ann was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She was both a Hendrix and a Razorback cheerleader. She taught junior high and high school English and most recently taught at UAFS as an English and humanities instructor. Ann was a member of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, the National Council Teachers of English, the Arkansas College of Teachers of English and the Southwest Region of College English. She edited and wrote the foreword for her father’s book, “The History of Fort Smith.”

Ann’s service to the state included the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Hendrix College Board of Trustees, where she served on two presidential search committees. She was on the University of Arkansas Alumni Board of Directors and the University of Arkansas Alumni Center Building Committee. She was on the Arkansas Partners for Excellence Statewide Committee, and the Peace Links State Advisory Board. She served as a delegate to the Arkansas Constitutional Convention and was the first woman appointed to the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Commission.

Ann was a member and on the administrative board of the Fort Smith Junior League. She was on the Fort Smith Museum of History Board, the Fort Smith Riverfront Task Force and the Webster University Advisory Board. Ann was elected for three terms to the Fort Smith School Board and served two years as president. She was in Leadership Fort Smith, was a member of the Fort Smith Symphony Board and the U.S. Marshals Museum Board and on the Fort Smith Public Library Endowment Advisory Council as a member and as the chair of the council. She also served on the United Way Board, where she helped institute the Success by Six and Parents as Teachers programs.

Ann was also active in her childhood church, First United Methodist, until her death, where she served on the administrative board and as chairperson of the board of trustees, as a member of the finance committee, as a member of the mission council, and on the staff-parish relations committee. She was deeply involved with the United Methodist Women and was selected as a delegate to the United Methodist Annual Conference. She was a delegate to the World United Methodist Conference in Brighton, England, in 2002.

Ann was awarded many accolades for her service. She received the Women of Distinction Award from the Mount Magazine Girl Scout Council. She was the Fort Smith Junior League Sustainer of the Year. She was selected for the Arkansas Women’s Political Caucus-100 Women of Achievement, and she was the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette High Profile in 1996. She was also an enthusiastic member of various groups, including PEO, The Wednesday Club and several book clubs.

Aside from her service to others and her community, friends will remember Ann’s boundless energy, her passion for reading, art and film, her love of politics and involvement in many statewide campaigns, her love for the outdoors, particularly spending time at the lake with her family, as well as many other athletic pursuits that kept her fit and active. However, she will be remembered most for her love of family and her deep, important and abiding friendships with people from all walks of life.

There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. today at First United Methodist Church to celebrate Ann’s life, conducted by Dr. Ed Matthews, the Rev. Terry Gosnell and the Rev. Janice Sudbrink, with a private burial led by the Rev. Aaron Barling and the Rev. Jon Guthrie.

Honorary pallbearers will be her Sunday school class, the Discussion Class.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, 200 N. 15th St., Fort Smith, AR 72901; the Fort Smith Museum of History, 320 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith, AR 72901; or the charity of your choice.